One of my uncles once told me that you should always have a side gig going onto whatever your main day job is.  That’s when I was a caddy I’d still volunteer to caddy for people who were just going on golf lessons and not going out to do 18 holes.  In college, I had a job working at a video store, but I also did a lot of freelance writing gigs in the meantime, including working for the school newspaper.  In the past, when I was working as a leasing agent, which is someone who shows you apartments and tries to get you to rent them, I was also taking courses so that I could become a real estate appraiser as well.  My uncle’s reasoning was that you should always have something to fall back on if your main job collapsed or if the company went under or if you wanted to go into a different field.  Experience is what matters the most for these things and you have to be able to show any employer that you know what you’re doing.  Sometimes, your side gig can even take off and become your main job, but, otherwise, it’s just a little extra cash in your pocket every week.  All you’re really investing is time and you have nothing but time to give.